Windup chuck



Nov. 26, 1963 M. v. ALTICE ETAL WINDUP cnucx Filed June 7. 1960 United States Patent 3,112,082 WINDUP CHUCK Maryland V. Altice, New Castle, and Vincent H. Waldin,

Wilmington, Del., assignors to E. L du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 7, 1960, Ser. No. 34,550 .4 Claims. (Cl. 242-465) This invention relates generally to the production of filamentary structures and, more particularly, to an apparatus useful in winding such structures onto a surfacedriven package.

In the textile industry, yarns, threads and other filamentary structures are often wound on tubular cores removably supported on rotatable chucks. In order to achieve high Winding speeds and for other purposes, it has been found practicable to rotate the chuck-core assembly by a rolling contact with a drive roll. A windup roll of this type and in which the drive roll is helically grooved has been disclosed by Calhoun et al. in US. Re. No. 23,977. Such a grooved roll functions to traverse yarn onto the package which it drives. The chuck-core-package assembly of the patent disclosure is freely rotatable on a shaft which, in turn, is supported by a pivotally mounted swing arm. The package is kept in contact with the drive roll by a spring load on the swing arm. In a known modification, yarn is traversed onto the package by a camdriven traverse guide rather than by the provision of a groove in the surface of the drive roll.

A number of advantages derive from the use of such a windup, primary among which are increased winding speed and simplicity of operation. To facilitate these and other advantages, the chucks are usually fabricated with spring-loaded vanes or shoes extending outwardly therefrom, as shown in US. Pat. No. 2,274,681 to Fletcher. One of the principal shortcomings of such a chuck is that the core tends to walk off the chuck or rotate relative thereto during the winding operation. When the spring load on the vanes is increased sufliciently to maintain the position of the core on the chuck, the gripping contact between the vanes and core precludes the possibility of rapid and efficient doffing, i.e., partially offsets the advantages of a drive roll windup.

The most important object of the present invention is the elimination of relative movement between a package core and the spring-loaded, core-engaging elements on the chuck of a drive roll windup during high speed winding operations.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a self-locking chuck construction in which the forces acting on the spring-loaded elements during high speed winding operations are increased without increasing the actual spring load or otherwise afiecting the ease and simplicity of doffing.

With these and other objects in view, the windup chuck of the present invention comprises generally an elongated body mounted for rotation about its axis, a plurality of dog members pivotally mounted on the body for swinging movement toward and away from its axis, and a spring means biasing each dog away (from the axis of the body into engagement with a package core telescoped thereon.

Additional objectives will become apparent in the following specification in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary end view of a traverse winding apparatus incorporating the chuck construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken from the opposite end of the chuck shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on irregular line IIIIII in FIG. 2.

The traverse winding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes as components thereof a helically grooved drive roll 10 and a swing arm 12 on which a chuck 14 is freely rotatable. The chuck has one or more tubular package cores 16 telescoped thereon and is driven by its rolling engagement with drive roll 10. In this manner, a filamentary structure 18 is wound onto each core 16.

The present invention is directed primarily to the chuck construction best shown in FIG. 3. in the embodiment chosen for illustration, support for the various operating parts of chuck '14 is furnished by a tubular member 20 which is fixedly attached to and extends laterally from the swing arm 12. Bearing assemblies 22, 24 are located within the passage through support 29, with bearing 24 retained against a shoulder 26 by a snap ring 28. The bearings 22, 24 receive a spindle 39 which is fastened to the inner race of bearing 22.

Spindle 30 carries an elongated chuck body 32 which is partially telescoped on support 20. The telescoped end of body 32 has an integral brake drum 3-4 which also functions as a stop or shoulder against which the innermost core 16 abuts. The latter feature permits the accurate location of cores on the chuck in a minimum of time. As best shown in FIG. 2, body 32 is provided with four radial extensions or blades 36 having longitudinally extending grooves 38 in their outermost edges. Each of a plurality of elongated dogs 49 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in one of the grooves 38 for swinging movement toward and away from the axis of body 32. The pivot point of each dog is spaced a short distance from that end which is closest to the core-abutting shoulder presented by drum -34. Adjacent its opposite end, each dog has a recess in which is seated a spring 42 exerting an outward force on the free end of the dog. Outward movement of the free end is limited by the engagement of the pivoted end with body 32 in groove 38. The coreengaging sides of the dogs have a level central portion 44 and two surfaces 4'3, 45 which slope toward the respective ends. Quick and easy donning and doffing are facilitated by such features as the slope of surfaces 43, 45, the relatively low load factor of springs 42, the limited swinging movement of dogs 40 and the location of drum 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the central portions 44 have edges 46, 47 which grip a core 16. Alternatively, the uppermost surface of portion 44 may be rounded and provided with a central, longitudinal, core-gripping rib (not shown).

When the illustrated apparatus is placed in operation, there is a rolling contact between drive roll 10 and the cores 16 or the packages thereon. At low speeds, the package, core and dogs are self-centering and remain concentric with the longitudinal axis of body 32 due to the condiiton of dynamic equilibrium which results from a continual transfer of the forces acting on the dogs. With the chuck body rotating at high speed, the edges 46, 47 are held in tight, frictional, gripping engagement with the inner surf-ace of a core 16 by the centrifugal forces acting on the dogs 40. Preferably, the dogs support the cores near their extremities. In order to insure a uniform distribution of forces, the dogs are aligned in longitudinal rows as well as transversely of body 32. Any tendency of the cores to migrate on the chuck is precluded by the gripping action of edges 46, 47 which actually dig slightly into the inner surfaces of the cores. Forces can develop locally during high speed winding operations which exceed the centrifugal forces acting on a particular longitudinal row of dogs and thus tend to displace one or more cores axially of the chuck. Even though such a locally developed force may be suflicient to overcome the spring load and centrifugal forces acting n the particular longitudinal row of dogs, it acts laterally on the dogs of the two adjacent longitudinal rows and is not suificient to overcome their frictional engagement with a core or to swing them against the forces acting thereon. The manner in which the various forces are utilized in the illustrated chuck permits the use of relatively soft springs 42 and a corresponding reduction in the load which is normally applied to swing arm 12. The consequent reduction in the paokage-to-drive roll pressure results in more uniform yarn quality and package formation.

In the illustrated embodiment, which is adapted for use in a double-end operation, there are two dogs 40 in each groove 38 for each core 16. Where the chuck is intended for use in a single-end operation with only one core 16 mounted thereon, it may be provided with as few as three blades 36 each carrying at least two pivoted dogs 40. In any event, the angles between blades 36 should be equal, as should their radial extent. The voids between each pair of blades 36 permit the insertion of a special dotting tool and thus further facilitate quick and efiicient dofling without contacting the yarn. Manifestly, the chuck construction can be modified to accommodate any practicable number of cores. It is apparent that other changes and modifications may be made in the disclosed windup chuck without departing from the spirit of the present invention which is therefore intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A surface driven windup chuck comprising: an elongated body mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis; a plurality of elongated dog members; means pivotally mounting each dog member on said body for swinging movement of its ends in opposite directions toward and away from said axis; and resilient means in engagement with one of said ends for biasing it away from said axis, the biasing action of said resilient means being limited by engagement of the opposite end of each dog with said body, said dogs each having outer longitudinal edges adapted for gripping contact with the inner surface of a [tubular package core.

2. A windup chuck adapted to receive a tubular package core having a substantially cylindrical inner surface, said chuck comprising: an elongated body mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and adapted to have a core telescoped thereon; a plurality of elongated dogs; means pivotally mounting each dog on the body for swinging movement in a plane intersecting said axis, said mounting means being located adjacent to but spaced from one end of each dog; and resilient means in engagement with each dog adjacent its opposite end for biasing said opposite end outwardly, the extent of outward swinging movement being limited to a small angle by engagement of said one end with said body, each dog having outer longitudinal edges adapted for gripping contact with the inner surface of a core.

3. The chuck of claim 2 wherein the dogs are aligned axially of the body in at least three rows, the latter being equally spaced from said axis and from each other whereby to provide support for said core.

4. The chuck of claim 3 wherein said outer longitudinal edges taper toward said axis at said opposite end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 741,638 Edwards Oct. 20, 1903 783,664 Allen Feb. 28, 1905 2,034,836 Schenck Mar. 24, 1936 2,274,681 Fletcher Mar. 3, 1942 2,734,691 Godat Feb. 14, 1956 2,889,123 Hayden June 2, 1959 

1. A SURFACE DRIVEN WINDUP CHUCK COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED BODY MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS; A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED DOG MEMBERS; MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED EACH DOG MEMBER ON SAID BODY FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT OF ITS ENDS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID AXIS; AND RESILIENT MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID ENDS FOR BIASING IT AWAY FROM SAID AXIS, THE BIASING ACTION OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS BEING LIMITED BY ENGAGEMENT OF THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH DOG WITH SAID BODY, SAID DOGS EACH HAVING OUTER LONGITUDINAL EDGES ADAPTED FOR GRIPPING CONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF A TUBULAR PACKAGE CORE. 